Gurgaon's posh Nirvana Country has been in the middle of a cold war between a pre-school, Bella Mente, and residents who don't want any schools in the area to disturb their peace. The school, located in east Nirvana Country, has now lodged a police complaint alleging harassment by a group of residents who have put up hostile banners in its vicinity. TOI gets to the bottom of the issue.

Residents need schools, why so much fuss?
"There are a couple of schools in this area and I've seen similar posters almost around them. I've heard parents anticipating traffic problems etc, but since I pick and drop my daughter to Bella Mente every day, I haven't seen any traffic jam on the roads. I'm not sure why this unnecessary fuss is being created in the area, because the residents themselves would need schools for their kids," says Devender Kumar Yadav, 43, whose child studies in Bella Mente.

Rupal Jain, 34, who stays in Close North, adds, "I've seen a whole lane which has banners saying 'Say NO to schools in Niravana', and many houses that have similar posters on their walls. We have an email group for Nirvana residents and sometime back, we got an email saying that Bella Mente has opened, and subsequently, another email that said that the school had promised not to advertise/do publicity, but now they're breaking their promise. My kid studies in another school, but I don't understand the fuss. People are complaining that there will be traffic problems, but there are two schools running here already."

Do we need so many schools?
General Sindhu, 65, a resident of Deerwood in Nirvana Country, disagrees. "These builders are leaving us with no space to even park our cars. We had spoken to Bella Mente's management when the school was coming up. The school has also over-ruled a Supreme Court ruling and made four floors, so, obviously, residents will express their anguish. Our problem is not just one school, but all the others that are coming up, leaving us with no space. There are about 600 houses in Nirvana, and if all the 12 planned schools come up, do we really need one school per 50 houses?"

No choice but to lodge police complaint: school director
Bella Mente's director, Nandini Chowdhury, says that they have been facing hostile residents since before the school opened. "Even though there are about three other schools running in Nirvana Country for two-three years, some residents were shouting and misbehaving since our bhumi puja in September 2012," she says, adding, "Since inception, residents have been saying that they fear security and traffic problems in the area, as cars will line up to drop and pick up kids. We responded by saying that the school is ready to arrange a pick and drop from the main gate. After conti-nuous agitation and harassment, we were left with no other option but to lodge a police complaint. We've spent a few crores to buy this land, which was earmarked for a school. We even shared the documents with those residents, after which they had nothing to say."

Chowdhury adds, "Last year, a lady working in the school's administration department quit her job because she was harassed by about 30 residents, who walked into her house at 8.30pm and began shouting at her. Currently, there are 30-40 banners against the school right outside the school, and on all the vacant houses in the area. Although the RWAs claim they don't support these residents, it doesn't seem like it. When the school wants to send out an invitation/email to residents for a carnival or activity, we do not get permission. There have also been emails floating around which have been requesting parents to refrain from putting their kids in Bella Mente. Residents fear that the school will later rent out space to slimming or yoga centres or other activities in the evening to meet finances, and that will create traffic and security issues, but this is only their assumption! And if that happens in other schools, it is for the benefit of the residents."

Not against school, but irrational planning by builders: RWA prez
Nirvana RWA president, Sanu Kapila, tells GT, "When the township was built, only 55% of the land was allowed to be sold by the builder, and 45% was supposed to be left as a green patch. A few years ago, another ruling came out allowing builders to sell schools as well (the grey area being whether these schools were included in the initial 55% of the saleable area or not). There is no clarity on whether the land that was saleable in the first place was inclusive of space earmarked for schools or not."

Kapila points out another irregularity, saying, "A Supreme Court ruling states that all primary and nursery schools need to be single-storey buildings, after a fire broke out in a primary school a few years ago. But Bella Mente is a five-storey building and the township has passed its plan. Moreover, there are 10-11 plots earmarked for schools, some of which are sold and some not. Bella Mente is the first school to have been built, and is running in the area with a 12 to 15 feet wide road. Although there was another school which had started construction, we spoke to them and construction has been on hold for the last two months. If all of these schools come up, the quality of life in Nirvana Country will be adversely affected, and there will be traffic jams and security issues."

About the other schools in the area, Kapila says, "There are more schools on the arterial roads, and no one bothers about them because they are not inside the community area. We understand the school's perspective also, and don't want them to lose out on their investment. We want to settle this with a rational decision, amicably. There is a 2.1 acre land for a community centre on the arterial road which can be swapped with the school's land. We, as a community, are not against schools or education, but against irrational planning by the builders in the society. In fact, we had spoken to the management of Bella Mente and they too agreed that if all these schools open in Nirvana, it could lead to security issues for residents."

We haven't broken any rules: school, Unitech

When asked whether Bella Mente has indeed gone against a Supreme Court directive on the number of storeys, Nandini Chowdhury says, "There's no such ruling, and I have checked with my architect. We have permission from the Country Town Planner and certifi-cates and NOCs from the fire department. All arrangements have been made."

According to sources at Unitech, "The plot is meant for a school, according to the township plan, and cannot be used for anything else and the developer has to adhere to these norms. The building structure and design gets approved by the Gurgaon Town and Country planning authority under HUDA which in turn approves building plans etc. The builder is responsible for provision of water and electricity inside the school."

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